argon

Hey Devana, I'm not implying that you're cheap or anything, eek! Sorry! Just that, if it were the same price to get it done in MX as it was here, I'm sure people would just opt to stay here, right?

I wanted to add... one thing I do, is give my boyfriend dirty looks to signal that he's eating too fast (when we're out eating with other people)! LOL I'm not being a b!tch, but I've asked him, and he's agreed that it's a good thing to do anyways, to eat slower, and chew really well, like I have to. I've even got him putting down his fork after he takes a bite. It's hard to do, cause I'm so used to getting my next mouthfull ready to go while I'm chewing my first one! It's just so I'm not always the last one with food on my plate, and eating slowly!

Buffie! How did the fill go?

nah. A select couple provinces slightly cover it, but its as much of a pain in the ass to get covered as it is for the Americans... psychologists, internists, doctor supervised diet history...

I haven't had cereal in a long time either... not cause i've been scared to or anything, I just haven't gotten around to it. I've had my eye on Cinnamon Toast Crunch though, and as soon as I move, I'm starting again! You know what I really like... Kashi GoLean Crunch. That one's thanks to Weight Watchers.

That's what I was getting at too.

Devana, who was your surgeon? Sorry :| I can't quite remember if you've said.

I would think that most of us are in the habit of drinking diet sodas anyways... maybe it's just easier to say don't drink it at all. It's weird how some people aren't bothered by the carbonation at all... then people like you, Molly, have major problems with it... hmmm... Could also be that I have the worst resriction EVER!!! maybe?

Cause it's cheaper. I think the average is about $9000-ish, US. Some places have all inclusive packages, which include flights, surgery, and hotel. I'm not gonna dismiss it. If I hadn't been able to get enough money together to get it done here, I probably would have too. Like everything, some people have good experiences, and some have bad ones. Do a search for 'mexico' and you'll be able to read lots of threads of peoples experiences. One thing though, if you were to do it, you would have to make sure you arrange follow-up care here, unless you're prepared to fly back and forth for fills and/or complications. I think I saw somewhere that TLBC charges a flat rate to do fills on 'other drs patients'... can't remember how much though.

Hi Kim, I've never been able to stick to a diet for long either, BUT... the pre-op and post op diets are different, at least I thought so. You know that there's an end to it, for one thing, and you're really doing it for a GOOD reason. Not sticking to it would only make your surgery more difficult, and I found that good incentive to 'be good'. But... LOL, I of course wasn't all good. I still lost 15lbs, and it did its job (shrinking my liver). Just think of it being for the best. It's not for long, and really, the worst of it is the pre-op part. TLBC's is yogurt and cottage cheese, right? Mine was all Optifast. They both suck, eating any one thing for a long time, but... you'll live. And then after, you'll be so excited to have juices and broths and popsicles! Your BMI is a good thing to know. A 'normal' BMI is around 18.5-24.9. Up to 29.9 is overweight, 30 and above is obese, and 40 and above is morbidly obese... I believe 50 and above is super morbidly obese. You could tell us your height and weight, and we'll tell you what yours is. It's not something you NEED to know, but I guess we just use it to gauge where we want to get to. When you hit a 39 BMI, you can say "WOOO! I'm only obese!!!" You don't really need to know about the size of the bands and fills right now. Joffe/Yau will figure out what you need when they get in there. Then you'll eventually get fills, which amounts will vary. You should start working on not having a drink with you when you eat. If you're eating tiny bites like you're supposed to, you probably won't choke anyways! Practice that (small bites and chewing the crap out of everything) too! It's not that you CAN'T drink with your meals, it just defeats the purpose, because it makes the food slide out of your 'pouch' faster, and you won't get full, or not for as long. If you absolutely NEED a sip, take one. I'm not telling people.... not really. I just moved across the country, so no one I know or am around on a daily basis, besides my boyfriend knows. People really don't notice what you're eating or that you're not drinking while you're eating. They're too busy with their own food. Order smaller things... eat what you can. If you can't finish it... just say "Oh, I guess I wasn't all that hungry." If you just have a diet Pepsi once in a while, you'll probably do fine getting 'cut off' ! I'm not one to talk though, I've started having coffee every morning again. Damn you, Tim Horton's! Let us know whatever else you want to know! Mandi

Thought I'd search before I asked... and someone already asked him. He replied, saying : But, that doesn't really help me. WHY? Why not super fizzy?

Caffiene-free Diet Coke, here! I used to live on it. That was leftover from my Atkin's days! I've had the odd pop/soda/beer here and there, and I seem to be ok. I just take it slow. I had to retire my belt as Champion Beer Guzzler. LOL Yeah, I dunno, it doesn't really make sense to me either. Perhaps I should ask Dr. C and see what HE says?

AWESOME, JUDE!!! Congrats. That must have been a great thing to wake up to You are well on your way! You should keep using this thread to post updates for us. I think I got the pound you lost though! *shakes fist* haha :hug: Mandi

Wowee! Awesome! And not even 299.9! WOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

like Ami.... *drools more* :eek: I love Kat too, she does amazing portraits. Was her freaky husband, Oliver, there? haha.. that guy and his mustache. How tall is your hubby, Kathy? (to get an idea of how tall Kat is) Very cool !

I don't wanna be a stickler, but it's 9.75 cm, not mm. And I have it also! :eek:

Hey Jude, I'm sorry. :pout: I *don't* know what the problem is, and I'm sorry you're sick of hearing people telling you to eat more. I obviously didn't know about your other problems. Was Dr. Cobourn able to say anything about whether he thought that that stuff could be the problem? I'll be watching to see what "Dr. C" says in reply to your other post. Good luck. (btw, I don't go to McD's and BK much. Like I said, it's been maybe 3 times in the last month, and that's probably the first times in more than a year. Also, my problem is that I'm living in a house with several other people, who all want to cook different things at the same time, so sharing one kitchen and fridge is pretty hard. So... I am often having to find alternatives, and unfortunetly a few times, it was fast food) (btw#2 - good for you keeping track of everything like that... I need to get into it more)

Actually, those are about 3 week old incisions, I believe! I'm at 16 weeks now. Maybe I'll have to take some new pics and compare! (btw, I got a couple new bras, so I'll be sure to include them in the next one! LOL!)

Hey Jude, I'm sorry you're having such a crappy time. I know what you mean about not living up to their expectations, I felt (and feel) the same way. I was stuck at the same weight for a couple weeks before, and a couple weeks after my first fill. That was pretty discouraging, but eventually it just started happening. I'm not losing lots, a pound here, 0.6lbs there, but it's something. Give it some time. When you do eat, what do you eat? If you can't eat very much, are you say, eating JUST your chicken(beef/fish/pork)? If you're eating lots of Protein, and still not getting enough calories, what about boosting the calories with something easy enough to add to meat without making it 'more' to eat... like gravy or mayo? What about doing Protein shakes? Make 'em with milk, if you need the calories. I dunno... just some suggestions. They say that if you're not eating enough, your body WILL hold on to what you give it, and that's probably why you're gaining. I just got back (as of today, so who know if it'll stick) into the habit of using sparkpeople.com to track my food. You're probably already doing that though, if Marie was able to determine that you're not eating enough. If you're not, check it out. I like it way better than fitday. Cheer up, it's gonna be ok. It'll pick up, I'm SURE of it. :hug: oh, P.S. I also didn't feel anything right after my fill, and really not until a few days later. Even then and since then, it's not been all that great. Give it a few days, even a week, and I bet you'll notice SOMEthing :eek:

haha, I do, Yoda! I'm not the whipper snapper I once was. So, upon finishing a horrible lunch at Burger King yesterday, my bf and I vowed that we would NOT eat there (or McDonalds) again... until Nov. If we absolutely HAVE to eat there, we will either be getting just a drink, or a salad. I don't go to either place all that much. I've only been to Mcdonalds once and BK twice since I've been here, but I felt soooo yucky after eating my chicken sandwich, that I don't wanna do it again for a while. (hopefully by then I"ll have some restriction, and not be ABLE to eat a chicken sandwich) And... why oh why, did I have to look up the calorie/fat/carb/protein content of things I like?! I figured for some reason that my dinner of just 'Hint of Lime' tortilla chips and HOT salsa last night wouldn't be too bad. I was able to eat quite a bit before I got an inkling of fullness. But apparently, that little deal-io cost me 800+ calories!!!! Oh, woe is me. It's good though. I'm glad I know. I used to LIVE on lime chips and salsa. Those damn lime chips are soooo good! So now... I guess I have to start eating healthy. :pout: I'm looking forward to being in our own place and being able to fully use a kitchen, and have a fridge full of only MY food... not worry that there's not enough room in the fridge and freezer for whatever I need to buy. So, I'm pretty sure this will once again get easier once we move. This time next week, I'm outta here!! I've also gotten up the guts, and all morning have been trying to call the Dr's office who I'm hoping will bless me with doing my fills for me. It's always busy!! ARRRRG! I, Mandi, vow to not eat at Burger King, or McDonalds again, until November. haha... November. I can't say FOREVER!

haha, yeah, ok... you should wait and give your self a little bit of a buffer zone, in case you celebrate TOO good!

Woooooooooooooooooo!! Can we celebrate even with a 299.9 ?!?!

haha, yeah... I'm workin' on it. Step 1 - a new bra. LOL

Hmm... I would have thought that Mumford would place it the same place as Cobourn... mine's more like inbetween my belly button and my bra line. Ugg... I'm breaking down and posting a picture! The biggest underlined one is the port: My bellybutton is pretty much right below my 'belt' of my pants... and my bra sits just a bit above that very top incision. (ignore my floppin' boob there)

Tricia - Thank you :hug: I checked out your website, btw, and you're lookin' awesome! You've inspired me to take the front/side/behind pictures more often, so I can have something to look back at like yours. Did I see somewhere that you're 5'6" as well? Same as me, and you started with a weight a bit less than me, so I like to think I just might look like you do in you your 192lb pics, when I get there! lisah25 -haha, nice to hear other people do it too! Yoda - I don't envy you guys and your crazy hot temps! I'm not retiring the hoodies, but they're put away deep in my closet for now! Cloe - thank you, and nah, I know what you mean about the maturity thing. I'm sure I would eventually become alot more comfortable in my skin as I got older, and even now, with the hoodies and all, I'm still more OK with myself than I used to be. Luckily, and hopefully, I won't have to wait to get more 'cool' with myself at my old weight, I'll just have to work on being comfortable in better fitting clothes as I lose! Eficka - I hear ya! And you totally didn't offend me. I know what I should be doing. And yes, seeing myself in pictures is hard, cause I do make myself look even bigger than I am. Since I have waaay too much time on my hands right now, just for you, tomorrow I'm going out, and at least TRYING on some clothes that I would never normally think of picking out. Maybe even a skirt! shackdog - huh? Tommy - haha, oh boy... I seriously haven't worn a bathing suit since I was 10! But thank you. It's a nice thought, and I wish I could... but I'm definitely not there yet!